On this page is information on Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge - Jambo House,
including pictures of the view from every hotel room, pictures and video from
inside Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House rooms, a list of amenities, restaurant reviews and dining
menus with prices, pool photos and reviews, reader comments, childcare options,
and more. Last updated: September 12, 2019
by Len Testa

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Overview

Among the best themed hotels anywhere, Disney's deluxe Animal Kingdom Lodge allows you to stay in a room with views of real African animals such as zebras and giraffes. Adjacent to Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park, Animal Kingdom Lodge opened in 2001. Designed by Peter Dominick of Wilderness Lodge fame, the resort fuses African tribal architecture with the rugged style of grand East African national-park lodges. Five-story, thatched-roof guest-room wings fan out from a vast central rotunda housing the lobby. Public areas, and about half the hotel rooms, offer panoramic views of a private 43-acre wildlife preserve populated with some 200 free-roaming animals and 130 birds.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is divided into two primary areas, the main Jambo House, which is comprised of standard hotel rooms, club level concierge rooms, and a small percentage of "villa" style rooms, and the adjacent Kidani Village, which is comprised entirely of studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom villas which function as small apartments with in-room kitchen facilities.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort map

Most of the 972 Jambo House guest rooms measure 344 square feet and boast hand-carved furnishings. Standard amenities include a flat-panel TV, desk with two chairs, minifridge, and coffeemaker. Behind each headboard sits faux mosquito netting. Bathrooms have animal-themed wallpaper, two sinks, and a large mirror. Most rooms have full balconies.

Animal Kingdom Lodge Room Refurbishment and Pool Closure

Disney is currently refurbishing guest rooms in Animal Kingdom Lodge - Jambo House. The construction is expected to be completed in Fall of 2019. Noise should be minimal, although proximity to the section being refurbished will make a difference. We do not currently know if any rooms are complete, but will update this page as soon as we know more.

The unique feature that separates Animal Kingdom Lodge from not only all the other Walt Disney World resorts, but almost any hotel in the world, is the animals. Many rooms have a view of the hotel's savanna with various wild animals roaming around. You may wake up one morning and have a giraffe looking in your window. The nightly price for rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge fall in to the middle of the other WDW deluxe resorts. The Animal Kingdom Lodge is located near the Animal Kingdom theme park. It is however, somewhat removed from the other Disney theme parks. If you have small children and aren't drawn to the animal views, a better choice at a similar price point might be the Wilderness Lodge, which also has an outdoorsy theme but much easier access to the Magic Kingdom.

Most Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo rooms are 344 square feet and have two queen-size beds, a daybed, and a table and two chairs. Both Jambo House and Kidani Village have studios and one, two, and three-bedroom villas. Most rooms at Kidani Village are larger, however, and the difference is anywhere from 50 square feet for a studio to more than 200 square feet for a two-bedroom unit. (The three-bedroom Grand Villas at Jambo House, 148 square feet larger than those in Kidani Village, are the exception.) Because of the difference in area, one-bedroom units in Kidani Village can accommodate up to five people and two-bedroom units, which include a sleeper chair in the living room, can hold up to nine guests. At Jambo House, the one-bedroom "value" rooms sleep four, while the standard, savannah and club-level rooms sleep five.

A typical Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo room with two queen beds.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Standard Room Layout

Each Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House Resort room is furnished with the following:

Two queen-sized beds

Dresser

Table with 2 chairs

Nightstand

Full-length mirror

WiFi wireless Internet access

Flat-panel TV

Mini fridge

Coffee maker

Ironing board and iron

Hair dryer

Digital thermostat

In-room safe

H2O-brand shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and bar soap

Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House bathrooms are modestly-sized for a Disney deluxe resort, but they are larger than those at the moderate or value levels. Water pressure in the shower is adequate, but probably less than what you're used to at home. A separate dressing area next to the bathroom includes two sinks and ample counter space. Combined with the shower/toilet rooms, this means that three people can have private dressing space at the same time. A 1500-watt, wall-mounted hair dryer is provided. Guests with long or thick hair may find that the dryer is underpowered for their needs.

A typical Animal Kingdom Lodge bathroom.

Animal Kingdom Lodge Room Classifications

Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House rooms are priced depending on the view from the room. (Note: the classification system is different at the adjacent Kidani Village.):

Standard View: Standard rooms generally have unremarkable views of landscaping or parking lots. These are the cheapest rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge, but there are some gems to be found in this category, though, using our Animal Kingdom Lodge Room Finder.

Pool View: At the Animal Kingdom Lodge, any rooms facing the center of the resort (where the pool is located) is considered a Pool View. First floor rooms here tend to have views of the backs of lounge chairs sitting around the pool, so upper-floor rooms generally have better views.

Savanna View: Savanna View rooms make up the majority of rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge. The main draw with these rooms are the animals that roam the Savanna during the day. The view from your window for the most part includes landscaping and trees. But don't worry, most of the time you'll see plenty of animals from the Savanna view rooms..

Animal Kingdom Lodge Concierge Level Rooms

The deluxe Disney hotels all include a subset rooms offered with addition amenities and more personalized serivce. These "concierge level" or "club level" rooms have a different name at each hotel. At the Animal Kingdom Lodge they are known as the Kilimanjaro Club. The Kilimanjaro Club is comprised of about 70 rooms. Though most of the Kilimanjaro rooms are physically similar to the standard Animal Kingdom Jambo hotel rooms, there are also a handful of suites with additional bedrooms, significantly larger square footage, or features such as in-room kitchen facilities.

Concierge Level guests receive additional amenities and personalized service beyond that available to regular guests. These include:

Separate check-in area in a relaxed setting.

Dedicated cast members to assist with dining recommendations and reservations, transportation, and other personal needs.

Nightly turndown service.

Access to a club-level-only lounge stocked with complimentary food and beverages throughout the day. Morning offerings include pastries, fruit, and coffee. Mid-day fare includes soft drinks, beer, small sandwiches, and savory bites. Later in the evening the lounge will offer desserts and a selection of wine and liqueurs.

Handicap-Accessible Room Options

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort have around 50 handicap-accessible rooms in a variety of configurations to accommodate guests with hearing or mobility issues. Mobility access rooms comply with Florida's Accessibility Code, with changes to everything from bed, counter-top, and dresser drawer height, to door widths, wheelchair ramps, and more.

Some accessible rooms have the standard setup of 2 queen beds; all rooms with roll-in showers have 1 king bed, and a small number of roll-in shower rooms have both 1 king bed and 1 double bed. Use our hotel room finder to see which rooms have which feature

The Animal Kingdom Lodge has table service, buffet, fine dining, lounge, and quick service dining options on site. Depending on whether you're staying in Jambo House or Kidani Village, some dining venues will be slightly more convenient than others. However, with the two sections of the resort just a 5-10 minute walk, or 2 minute shuttle ride, away all are easily accessible wherever your room is.

Table Service Restaurants

Jiko: The Cooking Place Jiko, located at Jambo House, is the Animal Kingdom Lodge's fine dining venue. Jiko has been winning awards and accolades (including AAA's Four Diamond Award) for its interesting fare and stellar wine list - one of the largest collections of South African wines in any North American restaurant. Dishes are beautifully spiced and full of flavor. Start with some flatbread, move onto the oak-grilled filet mignon or maize-crusted halibut, and wrap up with the Tanzanian chocolate mousse. Jiko has a special ambience, from the young African exchange students who greet guests as they enter to a menu of unusual tastes. Jiko's spacious dining room is inspired by the opening scenes of The Lion King. A pair of large wood-burning ovens dominates the center of the room.

Boma: Flavors of Africa Boma-Flavors of Africa, located at Jambo House, is a favorite of locals and visitors who return time and again for the salads, roasted meats, and interesting sauces. There are plenty of African inspired dishes, as well as basic items for those looking for familiar foods. While Disney calls this a buffet, it's very different from what you'd typically expect. The house specialties are watermelon rind salad, Moroccan seafood salad, roasted meats, Durban spiced roasted chicken, and vegetable skewers. Children are welcome to eat any of the offerings, but there are always classics like chicken fingers, pizza, or macaroni and cheese.

Sanaa Sanaa (sah-NAH), located at Kidani Village, offers diners a chance to sample and share a variety of Indian-African creations. Diverse Old and New World wines match the cuisine. One floor down from the Kidani Village lobby, Sanaa's dining room is inspired by Africa's outdoor markets, with baskets, beads, and art on the walls. It's a cozy space, with 9-foot-tall windows that look out on the resort's savanna - giraffes, water buffalo, and other animals wander within yards of you as you dine.

Counter Service Restaurant

The MaraThe Mara is small counter service restaurant with a limited menu. The standout items here are the chicken or falafel pitas.

Bars and Lounges

Victoria Fall Lounge Located near Boma, Victoria Falls Lounge is Animal Kingdom Lodge's main bar. The Lounge has a full drink menu with several beer selections, wines, and spirits. The limited food menu includes finger foods such as chicken wings and mushroom flatbread.

Sanaa Lounge Located next to the Sanaa restaurant, the lounge serves Indian-inspired appetizers and small bites along with a selection of African wines and a full bar.

Maji Pool Bar Maji Pool Bar is located near the pool at Kidani Village. It also offers a selection of specialty drinks, African beer and wine, as well as limited grab-and-go dining options.

Other

In-room Dining Animal Kingdom Lodge offers a full room service menu.

Rapid Fill Mugs Guests may purchase a Rapid Fill Mug which allows self service soft drink refills for $18.99 for the length of stay.

Pools: Animal Kingdom Lodge has two pools. The largest, Uzima Springs Pool, sits near the outside of the lobby at the front of the resort. At 11,000 square feet the pool is the largest in all of Walt Disney World. There is also a water slide, hot tub, kiddie pool, and water player area. A smaller pool is located at the Kidani Village wing of the resort. The Kidani Pool features an extensive water play area for children. The Animal Kingdom Lodge's pools range in depth from around 3 feet 6 inches/1.1m to 4 feet 9 inches/1.4m. Pool are open every day, including during winter. The pools are heated to 82°F/28°C throughoutthe year. Pool hours vary seasonally, typically opening at 10 a.m. and closing at 8:00 p.m. Infants and children in diapers are welcome in all Animal Kingdom Lodge pools, as long as they're wearing swim diapers. Water wings are allowed at all Disney pools, and every pool has free life vests in a variety of sizes. All WDW pools include a chair-lift device that can lower guests in wheelchairs into the shallow end of the pool. Check with any lifeguard for assistance on using the lift.

Playground: A small playground set is located near Uzima Springs. The set has a small plastic slide and a couple of sections with a few steps for toddlers to go up and down. The entire area is covered in a springy, poured rubber surface.

Fitness Center: Zahanati Fitness Center is Animal Kingdom Lodge's fitness center and spa. It is open 24 hours a day but attendants are only available from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Massage, facial, and body treatment services are available.

Arcade: Located near The Mara restaurant is Pumbaa's Fun and Games Arcade, which features a selection of relatively recent video and arcade games.

Movies Under the Stars: Free Disney movies are shown most evenings, weather permitting.

Jogging: Walkers, joggers and runners can find a jogging trail. The trail is a 0.16 around Uzima Pool. There is also a 0.5 mile path that connects Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House and Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village.

Check In/Out Times: Check-in time at Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House traditional hotel rooms is 3:00 PM, and check-out time is 11:00 AM. At Jambo House villa-style rooms and all of Kidani Village, check-in time is 4:00 PM, and check-out time is 11:00 AM.

Online Check-In: Animal Kingdom Lodge participates in Disney's Online Check-In program, which allows you to you provide name, address, and credit card information up to 60 days before your arrival. If you've checked-in online and provided a mobile phone number or email address, you will receive your room number electronically. Guests living in the United States and a few other geographic areas will have Magic Bands mailed to their home prior to their arrival. If you've completed online check in and have your MagicBand, you may go straight to the room bypassing the lobby altogether.

Theme Park Tickets: Park tickets are best purchased online in advance either directly through Disney or via our Least Expensive Ticket Calculator. However, if you arrive without park tickets, head to the concierge desk to the right of the check-in desk.

Dining Reservations: Dining reservation are best made online in advance or on your phone or tablet during your visit. If you need assistance stop by the concierge desk or the check in podium of any Walt Disney World table service restaurant.

Laundry: The one, two, and three bedroom villa rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge come with washer/dryer units in each room. Other guests may use the laundry facilities located near the main pool. Cost is $3 per wash, and another $3 per dry cycle. The machines take credit cards. A small selection of soap, fabric softener, and dryer sheets are also sold, for around $1 each. A typical wash cycle takes 20 to 30 minutes, and a typical dry cycle takes 40 to 50.

Lost and Found: If you lose something during your stay, contact Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort's Lost and Found department by calling (407) 938-3000.

Shopping: Animal Kingdom Lodge's gift shop is Zawadi Marketplace. It is located on the right side after you enter Animal Kingdom Lodge's lobby. As you'd expect from a Disney gift shop, Zawadi has a decent collection of souvenirs ranging from small trinkets such as keychains and pens, to embroidered jackets and Disney princess dresses. The store also sells basic pharmacy items such as sunscreen, aspirin, allergy and cold medicine, baby diapers and formula, shampoo, and the like. You will also find a small selection of convenience store food items such as frozen dinners, beer and wine, packaged snacks, and basic cooking items. An abbreviated version of the main store is located off the lobby of the Kidani Village main building.

Childcare: Two companies provide in-room sitting in Walt Disney World and surrounding areas. They're Kid's Nite Out and Fairy Godmothers (no kidding). Both provide sitters older than age 18 who are insured, bonded, screened, reference-checked, police-checked, and trained in CPR. In addition to caring for your kids in your room, the sitters will, if you direct (and pay), take your children to the theme parks or other venues. Neither service will transport your children in private vehicles or give baths. Both offer bilingual sitters.

A security gate guards the entrance to Animal Kingdom Lodge's grounds. If you arrive by car, you'll need to provide photo ID at the gate; it's not necessary to provide your reservation number or paperwork. A dedicated parking lot across from the lobby serves as temporary parking for those who need it while checking in.

Guests keeping a car at the Animal Kingdom Lodge overnight will be charged $25 per day for standard self-parking or $33 per day for valet parking.

From Sanford International Airport It's about a 40-minute drive from Sanford to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort. If you're not renting a car, be aware that Sanford's airport offers fewer transportation options than Orlando's, and Sanford's options are generally much more expensive. A taxi from Sanford International Airport to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort will cost between $120 and $150, depending on traffic. Mears Transportation offers 3-passenger towncar service to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort for around $140 each way, plus tip; 5-passenger SUV service or 10-passenger van is around $190 each way. That means round-trip transportation will run you somewhere between $240 and $380, plus tip, between Sanford and Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort. You may also want to consult ride-sharing services such as Uber or Lyft for their pricing options.

Ask a Disney Cast Member about Animal Kingdom Lodge's bus schedule, and they'll tell you that buses run about every 20 minutes. In reality, Animal Kingdom Lodge's bus schedule varies considerably depending on the time of day and where you're headed.

For example, if you're headed to the Magic Kingdom between 8 AM and 11 AM, you'll wait around 11 minutes, on average, for a bus to arrive. The bus schedules for Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Disney's Hollywood Studios are about the same early in the day, with a bus arriving every 15-20 minutes, on average. Bus schedules to the water parks and Disney Springs are a little less frequent, and you could wait anywhere from 12 to 37 minutes for a ride.

Buses run a little slower from around 11 AM to around 4 PM, when most people are already in a park. Disney's evening buses are scheduled around the theme parks' closing times, where most of the fleet is deployed to get guests back to their hotels. Your waits to return to your hotel from a theme park should average out to around 30 minutes under most circumstances.

If you've got your own car, it's faster to drive yourself to Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach water parks, and Disney Springs. Disney's bus service is faster to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Animal Kingdom, and Disney's Hollywood Studios. We evaluate Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort's bus service annually, and the latest transportation times can be found below.

Getting to another hotel from Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort

If you've got dining plans at another Disney hotel, the cheapest option is to take a Disney bus from Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort to Disney Springs (or an open theme park), then take another bus from there to your destination hotel. Do the reverse to get back to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort. While that's free, it can take anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 hours each way. If your destination is one of the Magic Kingdom monorail resorts, and the Magic Kingdom is still open, you could take a bus to the Magic Kingdom, then either walk (to the Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower), hop on the monorail (to the Polynesian and Grand Floridian), or take a boat (to Fort Wilderness, Wilderness Lodge, the Polynesian, and the Grand Floridian). We suggest you still allow at least an hour for that.

The fastest option, however, is almost always a taxi or ride sharing service such as Uber or Lyft. Rates are generally in the $15-25 range, depending on your destination. A taxi can typically get you to most points in Disney World within 20 minutes (often much less), versus the one to two hours it might take using Disney's free transportation system. Taxis are available outside the lobby; if a taxi is not already sitting out front, the bell services desk also serves as a taxi stand, and they'll call one for you.

To Universal Orlando

If you're staying at Walt Disney World and don't have a car, Mears Transportation will shuttle you from your hotel to Universal and back for about $20 per person. Pickup and return times are at your convenience. A one-way taxi ride is around $36, and may be the cheapest option if you have three to five people.

A family of four from Lincoln, England, gives Animal Kingdom Lodge a mixed, though mostly positive, review:

We had a fab holiday, but we wouldn't recommend people paying the extra money to have a savanna room. The animals are scarce, and you don't really spend much time in your room. The pool was fantastic and the hotel stunning. We visited Boma: Flavors of Africa, but my children found the food very different and spicy. The food court was fine, although we wished they'd change the menu as after two weeks you're fed up of the same choices.

A Portage, Indiana, family begs to differ with us:

We disagree with your assessment that the Giraffe Trail is the least desirable wing of Animal Kingdom Lodge. We stayed in a pool-view room and loved it. The view was beautiful, even without the animals (which you can view elsewhere). The proximity to the pool, lobby, and restaurants was great, and a bonus was the direct exits from the hallway to the outside, which were very close to where Disney transportation picks up. And we saved about $500 over what we would've spent on a savanna view.

A British mum had safety concerns:

The room was very small and not very child-safe (REALLY high beds), but the hotel itself was fantastic in all other aspects.

Finally, from a Chandler, Arizona, couple:

Specifically wanted to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. We weren't disappointed! Fantastic resort. We loved sitting on our balcony in the afternoon and watching the animals. Found the transportation to be easy and convenient from this location as well.

A glance at the resort
map tells you where the best rooms and villas are. Kudu Trail and Zebra
Trail, two wings branching from the rear of Jambo House, form a semicircle
around the central wildlife savanna. Along each wing are seven five-story
buildings, with accommodations on floors two through five. five
buildings on each wing form the semicircle, while the remaining two buildings
jut away from the center. The best rooms—on floors three and four,
facing into the circle—are high enough to survey the entire savanna yet low
enough to let you appreciate the ground-level detail of this amazing wildlife
exhibit; plus, these rooms offer the easiest access to the lobby and restaurants.
Second-floor rooms really can’t take in the panorama, and fifth-floor
rooms are a little too high for intimate views of the animals. Most of the
fourth-floor rooms in Jambo House are reserved for concierge guests, and
the fifth and sixth floors house the DVC units.

Room 2356: A Kudu Trail room with a good savanna and easy access to the hotel lobby.

Room 2281: Rooms on the lower levels show the little details of the savanna.

Most rooms in the outward-jutting buildings, as well as rooms facing
away from the interior, also survey a savanna, but one not as compelling
as that of the inner circle. On the Zebra Trail, the first two
buildings plus the first jutting building provide savanna views on one
side and look onto the swimming complex on the other.

Less attractive still are two smaller wings, Ostrich Trail and
Giraffe Trail, branching from either side of the lodge near the main
entrance. Some rooms on the left side of Ostrich Trail overlook a small savanna. Rooms on the opposite side of
the same buildings overlook the front entrance. Least desirable is
Giraffe Trail, extending from the right side of the lobby: its rooms
overlook either the pool (water view) or the resort entrance (standard
view).

Room 1468: Lower level rooms facing the pool may not have the best view.

Room 5549: View from a 1 bedroom room in Zebra Trail.

Room 2356: An example of a room facing the edge of the savanna.

Room 3138: Some savanna view rooms have trees that partially block the view.